Category: Levanduski

The Levanduski Family and the Buffalo Cereal Company Disaster of 1910

Published on by Julie Roberts Szczepankiewicz4 Comments

Note: This story was originally published in the Spring 2023 issue of Rodziny. It is reprinted here with permission.

Family stories are what draw many of us into researching our family histories. Back in the late 1980s, when I first began asking my husband’s grandmother, Joan (Drajem) Barth, about the family history, she shared with me a story about her father-in-law, Joseph Bartoszewicz, who was badly burned and injured in a fire when he was a young man. She recalled that the fire was in a sugar factory in the Larkin Building on Seneca Street in Buffalo, New York, and that her father-in-law had been a foreman in the factory. She also recalled that her mother-in-law, Katherine (Levanduski) Bartoszewicz had a brother or brothers who may have been killed or injured in the fire. Grandma couldn’t tell me much more about the Levanduski brothers; this was the family of her deceased husband, Henry Bartoszewicz/Barth, and “people didn’t talk about those things back then.”

My curiosity was piqued, but my early attempts to research both the Levanduski family and the Bartoszewicz family, and learn more about that fire, were thwarted by the many versions of surnames and given names that were in use by the family. The original Polish form of the surname, Lewandowski, was ranked 6th for popularity among Polish surnames circa 1990,1 and the family favored phonetic versions of the surname, such as Levanduski, Levendeski, and Levandoski, in the U.S. Similarly, documents related to the Bartoszewicz family contain variant spellings such as Bartosiewicz, Bartusiewicz, and Bartoszewski. Although Grandma was very specific about the fire taking place “in the Larkin Building on Seneca Street” in Buffalo, I could find no evidence from newspaper articles that such a fire took place in the appropriate time period, which she guessed was the early 1920s. Stymied by these road blocks, it was easy to defer this research, and investigate other family lines instead.

Over the years, as more documents and scanned newspapers became available online, I was able to gradually chip away at this puzzle, and uncover the tragic story of the Lewandowski family, and the disaster that was directly responsible for the loss of two lives—and was indirectly responsible for the loss of a third life. This, then, is their story.

The Lewandowski Family of Wola Czewujewska

The Lewandowski family originated in what is now the Poznań area of Poland, but was at that time the Posen province of Prussia. For the purpose of this story, we’ll exclude the family’s deeper origins, and begin with Stanisław Lewandowski and Marianna Woźniak, who married on 9 September 1882 in Rogowo (Żnin County).2 (Their marriage record was discussed in a previous post.) At the time of their marriage, Stanisław was a 22-year-old Knecht (farmhand or servant), living in Wola Czewujewska, and Marianna was a 19-year-old Knechtstochter (daughter of farmhands or servants), also living in Wola. Both were Roman Catholic. The Meyers Orts- und Verkehrs-lexikon des deutschen Reichs, which is a gazetteer of places located within the German Empire, identifies Wola as a Rittergut, or landed estate, which suggests that Stanisław and Marianna were employed in service at the manor.3

Following their marriage, Stanisław and Marianna had two children, both born in Wola: Katarzyna (Catharina/Katherine), born 11 October 1883, and Jan (Johann/John), born 5 May 1885.4 On 10 April 1886, the Lewandowski family emigrated from Prussia, departing from the port of Hamburg, along with Marianna’s sister, Weronika Woźniak, and another relative, Michał Lewandowski.5 Further research is needed to determine precisely Michał’s relationship to Stanisław, but the fact that he was also from Wola, and was traveling with them, suggests that he was a relative, despite the popularity of the surname. Their departure manifest is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Emigration manifest from the port of Hamburg for the family of Stanisław and Marianna Lewandowski, as well as Marianna’s sister, Weronika Woźniak, and another probable relative, Michał Lewandowski. Click image to enlarge.

According to this manifest, Stanisław Lewandowsky [sic] was a 27-year-old laborer from Wolla, Prussia. His wife, recorded as Maria, was age 23, and their children, Kataryna [sic] and Jan, were ages three and one. All the information is consistent with expectations based on prior evidence.

From Stanisław to Edward, and Patrick to Peter

The Lewandowski family settled in the hamlet of Shelby in rural Orleans County, New York, about 40 miles northeast of Buffalo. Although a Polish parish—Sacred Heart church in Medina— would eventually be founded in Orleans County, there was no ethnic Polish parish there when Stanisław and Marianna arrived with their family in 1886. Instead, the family belonged to St. Stephen’s parish in Middleport, New York, about six miles away, and this is where the birth of their next child was recorded in 1888 (Figure 2).6

Figure 2: Baptismal record from St. Stephen’s church in Middleport, New York, for Patricius (Patrick) Levendeski, born 28 May 1888. Click image to enlarge.

This baptismal record testifies to the language barrier which the Lewandowski family encountered in rural Orleans County, which ultimately led to the adoption of the phonetic version of the surname, Levanduski, used by the family today. The record is written in Latin and states, “Junii 10. Baptizavi Patricium (per errorem Catherinam vocatum) natum 28 ult. ex Eduardo Levendeski et Maria Wisnaik. Sponsores Michael Wisnaik et Rosa Kotriss,” which translates, “I baptized Patrick (named Catherine by mistake), born on the 28th last [month], of Edward Levendeski and Maria Wisnaik. Sponsors [were] MIchael Wisnaik and Rosa Kotriss.” One wonders at the extent of communication difficulties that would lead the priest to baptize a child as Catherine, and then record the child’s name as Patrick, when this same child would ultimately be known as Peter in almost all historical records.

The fact that Stanisław was recorded as Edward here is also noteworthy. When I began my research, I had no idea that Edward was not the original name of Katherine Levanduski’s father, as my husband’s family was unaware of any name change. I only discovered this fact through correspondence with a distant cousin in Medina, Joe Levanduski, who found me back in 2007 through an Orleans County surname database hosted by New York GenWeb. Joe noticed that I was researching the Lewandowski/Levanduski surname and contacted me. He wrote, “I show Stanislaw Lewanduski….became a citizen in 1891, changing his name to Edward…. The story I got about the name change was great-grandfather worked in a quarry and they spelled his name wrong on his paycheck. He couldn’t get them to spell it right so it evolved to what it is today.”7 I’m ever grateful to Joe for tipping me off to that unexpected name change from Stanisław to Edward, since my efforts to obtain a passenger manifest and pursue research in Polish records had been unproductive prior to that point.

In 1891, Edward and Mary Levanduski’s fourth child, Joseph, was baptized at St. Stephen’s church (Figure 3).8

Figure 3: Baptismal record from St. Stephen’s church in Middleport, New York, for Josephus Levendeski, born 15 February 1891. Click image to enlarge.

The record states, “Feb. 17. Baptizavi Josephum natum 15 inst. ex Eduardo Levendeski et Maria Wisnaik. Sponsores fuerunt Andreas Hoffman & Veronica Lipkoski,” which translates from Latin as, “Feb. 17. I baptized Joseph, born on the 15th of this [month] of Edward Levendeski and Maria Wisnaik. Sponsors were Andrew Hoffman and Veronica Lipkoski.” Joseph’s godmother, Veronica Lipkoski, was none other than his maternal aunt, Weronika Woźniak, who married Stanisław “Edward” Lipkoski (or Lepkoske) on 22 June 1889 in Middleport.9

Edward Levanduski naturalized as a U.S. citizen on 14 September 1891 under the name Stanislaw Lewandowski in the Orleans County Court in Albion.10 His naturalization status was reflected in the 1892 New York State census, where he was recorded under the name “Adcker Lewenoboski,” shown in Figure 4.11

Figure 4: 1892 New York State census for the hamlet of Shelby, New York, showing the family of Adcker Lewenoboski [sic]. Click image to enlarge.

The family group described in this census record consists of 31-year-old Adcker Lewenoboski [sic], a laborer born in Poland and a naturalized citizen; his 29-year-old wife, Mary, 9-year-old daughter Catherine, and 7-year-old son, John, all of whom were also born in Poland and noted to be aliens. Additionally, the census identified the couple’s two U.S.-born children, 3-year-old Patrick and 1-year-old Joseph. Apart from the obvious miscommunication regarding the family surname and Edward’s given name, the names and ages of family members are all consistent with established evidence. Moreover, the family group listed immediately below the Lewandowski family is the family of Mary Levanduski’s sister, Veronica Lepkoske, who adopted the name Lena in the U.S.

In December of 1892, another daughter, Veronica, was born to Edward and Mary Levanduski.12 No death record has been found for her, but she was apparently deceased between March 1899 and 26 June 1900, when the census was enumerated.13 One more daughter, Anna Levanduski, was born in 1894.14 On 10 April 1896, Mary (Woźniak) Levanduski died of diffuse septic peritonitis at the age of 32, leaving Edward a 36-year-old widower and father of six children, with the oldest being 12 years of age and the youngest being not quite two years old.15 An expeditious second marriage was a necessity, and Edward’s bride was 29-year-old Antonina Budzińska, whom he married at St. Stephen’s in Middleport on 12 May 1896 (Figure 5).16

Figure 5: Marriage record for Edward Levanduski and Antonia [sic] Budzinski. Click image to enlarge.

Antonina, recorded occasionally as Antoinette, but most often called Anna, was born 5 January 1867 in Morhardsburg, known today as Morasy, to Jan/Johann and Katarzyna/Catharina (Łukomska) Budziński.17 Morasy is a mere 12 miles from Edward’s last residence in Poland, and it is likely that Edward and “Anna” were connected through the vast network of Prussian Poles who migrated to Western New York from Edward’s and Anna’s home counties of Żnin and Mogilno. Her marriage record to Edward states, “Tribus bannorum rite factis publicationibus conjunxi in matrimonio Edwardum filium Michaelis Levendeski et Elizabeth Rotka et Antoniam filiam Joannis Budinski et Catharinae Lukomski. Testes Laurentius Hoffman et Veronica Lepkoski fuerunt. (B) Jacobus J. Roche,” which translates, “After the publication of three banns, I joined in marriage Edward, son of Michael Levendeski and Elizabeth Rotka, and Antonia, daughter of Joannes Budinski [sic] and Catharina Lukomski. Witnesses were Laurence Hoffman and Veronica Lepkoski.”

Children came quickly for Edward and Anna. Anthony was born first, in 1897, followed by Ladislaus/Walter in 1898 and Martha in 1899.18 By 1900, when the family was enumerated in the census, the oldest three children—Katherine, John, and Patrick/Peter—are not listed with the rest of the family (Figures 6a and b).19

Figure 6a: First page showing the Edward Levanduski family in the 1900 census. Click image to enlarge.
Figure 6b: Second page showing Martha Levanduski in the 1900 census. Click image to enlarge.

However, the census tells us that in 1900, Edward Lavendusky [sic] was employed as a quarry laborer. He owned his home (with a mortgage), and he could speak English, although he could not read or write. His naturalization status, date of arrival, length of marriage, age, and place of birth are all consistent with prior evidence. His wife, Anna, was a more recent immigrant, having arrived in the U.S. circa 1893, according to this record. The children were identified as 10-year-old Joe, born February 1890; 6-year-old Anna, born June 1894; 3-year-old Tony, born May 1897; 1-year-old Wallace, born August 1898, and 10-month-old Martha, born July 1899. Once again, all the data are approximately consistent with prior evidence, although Walter was recorded as Wallace. This is not surprising in light of the fact that his baptismal name was Ladislaus, which is the Latin form of the Polish name Władysław, a name which has no direct English translation. Men with this name often adopted the name Walter, but there were no hard-and-fast rules for this, as evidenced by Walter’s father’s choice to go from Stanisław to Edward rather than adopting the name Stanley, which was a more popular choice among men named Stanisław.

It’s not certain why the oldest three children were not mentioned here, but neither are there any definitive matches for Katherine, John, and Peter Levenduski anywhere else in the 1900 census. A miscommunication seems most likely; if the older children were away from the house when the census-taker came by, perhaps they were simply missed in the tally. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that all the children were still living at home in 1905 (Figure 7).20

Figure 7: The Edward Levanduski family in the 1905 New York State Census. Click image to enlarge.

By 1905, 22-year-old Katie and 21-year-old John were both employed as servants. Peter, age 17, and his 15-year-old brother, Joseph, were employed as day laborers, like their father. Anna, Anthony, and Walter were at school. Little Martha Levanduski, whose brief life was captured in the 1900 census, enumerated in June, died in August of that year.21 By 1905, the family had come to include two new members, as well: Mary Levanduski, born in 1901, and Josephine, born in 1903.22 The Levanduski family was now complete.

On 29 April 1907, Katherine Levanduski wed Joseph Bartoszewicz at St. Stephen’s parish in Middleport (Figure 8).23 Joseph was the son of Stephan/Stefan Bartoszewicz and Joanna Olszewska, and like Katherine, he was born in the Prussian partition of Poland and came to the U.S. as a small child.24 As evidenced by their marriage record, Joseph was a resident of Buffalo in 1907. The witnesses to the marriage were Joseph’s sister, Anna Bartoszewicz, and Katherine’s brother, John Levanduski. On 15 December 1907, Katherine Bartoszewicz gave birth to the couple’s first child, a daughter whom they named Anna.25

Figure 8: Marriage record from St. Stephen’s church in Middleport for Joseph Bartoszewicz and Katherine Levanduski, 29 April 1907.

The Buffalo Cereal Company

By 1909, the family was living at 23 Townsend Street in Buffalo, and Joseph was employed as a foreman at the Buffalo Cereal Company plant, located at the intersection of Elk Street and Abbott Road, about two miles from his home (Figure 9).26

Figure 9: The Buffalo Cereal Company plant as it appeared in 1908.

The Buffalo Cereal Company was established in 1901, and the plant was completed in 1902. According to A History of Buffalo: Its Men and Institutions: Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens, published in 1908,

“The plant consists of two groups of buildings, conveniently arranged and divided into eight sections, consisting of elevator, cereal mill, feed mill, drying and cleaning house, transformer house, and three warehouses. The buildings occupy a space of about seventy-five by three hundred and ninety feet, and are substantially built of brick and stone, with the exception of the elevator, which is of the usual crib construction and covered with corrugated iron. The plant is operated by electrical power from Niagara Falls, of which it has an installation of about seven hundred horsepower.

The elevator is equipped with the latest machinery for handling grain, and has an excellent system of dust collecting, which makes this part of the plant remarkably clean. …

The cleaning and drying house is a six-story fireproof building, constructed entirely of brick and steel, with the exception that the floors and bin work are constructed of reinforced concrete. One end of this building contains two large Hess driers, which have a capacity of several thousand bushels of corn and oats per day. These driers are operated by separate motors, and the drying is done entirely by steam, the operation thus being made practically free from all danger of fire. …

The company has shown steady growth since its organization, the milling plant alone giving employment to over one hundred men.”27

The emphasis on both the cleanliness of the plant, and its sturdy, fireproof construction, was probably intended to reassure readers regarding its safety and modernity in an era when flour mill explosions were regularly reported in the newspapers. A quick search for “flour mill explosion” or “grain mill explosion” in Newspapers or in the free digital newspaper archive, Old Fulton New York Postcards, suggests that the explosive nature of flour dust was recognized as early as the 1870s, and this problem continue to be an industrial concern even today. While most of us don’t think of flour as particularly hazardous—and in typical home settings, it’s not—flour dust is highly combustible. In order for flour dust to explode, certain conditions must be met: the flour must be finely dispersed in the air, in a confined space, and in the presence of an ignition source—such as a spark caused by static electricity.28 These conditions are all found in grain mills, and they all combined to create the explosion that caused the deaths of Joseph and John Levanduski, and seriously injured Joseph Bartoszewicz.

From Bartoszewicz to Bartek and Levanduski to Lendes

As I mentioned in the beginning, my early attempts to document this family tragedy were hampered by a lack of factual evidence. As with most family stories, Grandma’s account of the “fire in the sugar factory in the Larkin Building” contained a kernel of truth, but the devil is in the details. Buffalo had a number of grain mills back in the day, and without knowing the exact location or time period of the event, it was difficult to discover more information. Moreover, I was searching newspapers for the family surnames as they were usually encountered: phonetic variants of Bartoszewicz and Levanduski. What finally gave me my breakthrough, however, was a short entry in my research notes, where I recorded a comment from Grandma that Katherine Bartoszewicz used the name Bartek informally, circa 1930. This fact was confirmed by the 1909 Buffalo City Directory, in which Joseph Bartoszewicz appears twice, under the name Bartoszewicz, and also under the name Bartek (Figures 10a and b).29 In both entries, he was listed as a foreman, living at 23 Townsend Street.

Figure 10a: Joseph Bartosiewicz in the 1909 Buffalo City Directory.
Figure 10b: Joseph Bartek in the 1909 Buffalo City Directory.

When I repeated my newspaper searches using this surname, at long last, I was able to locate articles about the fire at the Buffalo Cereal Company plant in 1910. And the Levanduski brothers? They were using the name Lendes! Figure 11 shows one of many newspaper headlines regarding the disaster.30

Figure 11: Front page of the Buffalo Evening News, 12 pm edition, on 5 January 1910 reporting the explosion at the Buffalo Cereal Company plant. Click image to enlarge.

The Explosion

On the evening of 4 January 1910, with 30 men at work in the plant, the yellow corn mill of the Buffalo Cereal Company exploded into flames. The explosion was believed to have been caused by dust accumulations that were ignited by sparks from a dynamo. Eleven men were in the yellow corn mill where the explosion occurred, and the rest were in the white corn mill, the 8-story grain elevator, and the warehouse. The group of eleven men included Joseph Bartek, foreman of the night crew, and Joseph Lendes. Joseph Lendes had been sent to the top of an 85-foot tower to keep clear the mouth of the grain spout while his brother-in-law, Joseph Bartek, worked below with the other men.

The explosion completely destroyed the grain elevator and the yellow corn mill. Four men were reported to have died in the explosion and the resulting three-alarm fire, identified as Joseph Lendes, Frank Gloecki [sic], Fred Laney, and Louis Krennan. Of Joseph Lendes, the article states, “nothing could be found. The little platform on which he had stood at the time the explosion occurred was wrecked, and the roof was completely torn away. That the man escaped with his life seems improbable.” Nine more men were injured, including John Landers [sic] of 23 Townsend Street, Joseph Bartek, Chris Schultz, John Shea, George Seligman, Fred Tryon, John H. Willis, Paul Fisher, and John Gorski. John Landers was reported to be a bag sewer, who suffered “face, hands, and body burns” and was sent to Emergency Hospital, “recovery doubtful.” (The former Emergency Hospital is presently known as Sheehan Memorial Hospital.30) The article continued to report that of all the injured, John Landers was burned the worst. Joseph Bartek, the night foreman, was also sent to Emergency Hospital and was reported to be seriously burned, but “may recover.” The men who had been working in the other areas of the plant were reported to have fought their way through the smoke and flames to drag the injured men to safety.

The Buffalo Evening News published the story of the explosion at noon, 3 pm, and 5 pm on January 5. By the time the 5 pm edition was published, the story had been updated to include photos of some of the victims, including Joseph “Bartek” Bartoszewicz and John “Lendes” Levanduski (Figure 12). These were the only photos of Joseph Bartoszewicz and John Levanduski which my husband’s family had ever seen.

Figure 12: Photos of Joseph Bartoszewicz and John Levanduski, identified as victims of the Buffalo Cereal Company plant explosion. Click image to enlarge.

The Buffalo Courier reported on the same disaster, but in their article, John Landers was called John Lendes and Joseph Bartek was called Joseph Bortek.32 The Courier specified the relationship between John and Joseph, stating, “Joseph Landes, a brother of John, who is at Emergency Hospital, is another of the missing. John Landes said that his brother was working only a few feet away from him and he could not understand how they became separated even in the confusion following the explosion.” Interestingly, the Courier‘s report omits any mention of Frank Gloecki or Glodecki among the missing and presumed dead. The article further reported that some of the injured were initially taken to Crotty’s saloon at 82 Abbott Road, where the ambulances were summoned by Crotty, and, “When John Lendes was being carried to the ambulance from the saloon he became half crazed with pain and broke away from the attendants. He ran for half a block before he was captured by the doctors and then had to be overpowered before he could be taken to the hospital.”

The Aftermath

In the days and weeks that followed, the Levanduski family’s personal tragedy continued to unfold in the newspapers. On January 6, the Buffalo Commercial reported that Fred Laney, initially thought to have been killed in the explosion, was found alive, but that Joseph Lendes and Frank Glodecki remained unaccounted for. The frozen ruins were being searched for their bodies, but fire engines were “still pumping water on the smoldering mounds of grain.”33 According to the Commercial, Joseph Bartek and Chris Schultz were still in the Emergency Hospital but were recovering, while John Lendes and the others were still in serious condition. On January 10, the Buffalo Times reported that John Lendes died of his injuries.34 The article erroneously reports John’s age as 44, rather than 24, and similarly misstates Joseph’s age as 38, rather than 18. Despite this discrepancy, the article states that both of them lived “at the home of their sister, Mrs. Joseph Bartek, at No. 23 Townsend Street,” and continues, “Bartek, who was foreman at the elevator, was among those who received injuries at the fire and is now at the Emergency Hospital. Owing to his condition he was not informed this morning of the death of his brother-in-law in the same ward of the hospital in which he is lying.” John Levanduski was reported to be the fifth fatality from the explosion, with the other victims identified as Oscar Lawn [sic], Frank Gloeck, and Frank Zydell, and Joseph Lendes.

By January 11, Christopher Schultz had died, and Joseph Bartek had taken a turn for the worse (Figure 13).35 Both men had been initially considered to be doing well and likely to recover. By the 13th, grim headlines suggested that Joseph Bartek might not recover (Figure 14).36

Figure 13: Article from the Buffalo Evening News reporting the death of Christopher Schultz.
Figure 14: Article from the Buffalo Evening News reporting the worsening condition of Joseph Bartek.

On January 15, the Buffalo Evening News reported that the body of Joseph “Lendes” Levanduski was recovered from the ruins (Figure 15).37 The article noted that Mrs. Joseph Bartek, sister of the deceased, “was called away from the bedside of her husband at the Emergency Hospital to identify the body of her brother.” By January 30, Joseph Bartek was still reported to be in the hospital, and the body of Oscar Lonn (or Lawn) was discovered.38 Incredibly, Frank Gloecki, who was initially identified as a victim of the explosion, was found to be alive, having never been at work on the night of the fire. As the article states, “Detective Jerry Condon of the Louisiana Street [Police] station, went to Gloecki’s home at No. 45 Roberts Street yesterday afternoon and found him leisurely sitting down, smoking a pipe and oblivious to all the harrowing tales that had been printed concerning his death.”

Figure 15: Report from the Buffalo Evening News of the recovery of the body of Joseph Lendes from the ruins of the Buffalo Cereal Company’s plant.
Figure 16: Report from The Buffalo Times of the recovery of the body of Oscar Lonn.

Eventually, Joseph Bartoszewicz was able to recover from that fire to the extent that he was able to return to full-time employment. However, the physical and psychological trauma of this fire left scars that remained with him until his dying day. His story remains to be told at another time.

Lendes, Lewandowski, and Levanduski, Revisited

Although all the details of the tragedy at the Buffalo Cereal Company plant on the night of 4 January 1910 lined up well with that kernel of truth in Grandma’s story, I nevertheless obtained copies the death certificates for both John and Joseph Lendes. Joseph’s death certificate is shown in Figure 17.39

Figure 17: Death certificate for Joseph Lendes, date of death recorded as 14 January 1910.

The death certificate corrects the error reported in the newspaper that Joseph was 38 years old, and identifies him as the 19-year-old son of Stanislaus Lendes and Mary Wozniak, both born in Germany. (Joseph was only 18 in January 1910, but would turn 19 in May.) His date and place of birth, 16 May 1891 in Middleport, New York, agree with prior evidence. Joseph was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery, located in Lackawanna, New York, on 16 January 1910.

John’s death certificate is shows in Figure 18.40

Figure 18: Death certificate of John Lewandowski, 10 January 1910.

Despite having been identified in the newspapers as John Lendes, John’s death certificate gave him back his original surname, John Lewandowski. His sister, Katherine Bartoszewicz of 23 Townsend Street was the informant, and she identified their parents as Stanislaus Lewandowski and Mary Wozniak. As with the death certificate for his brother, Joseph, the document corrects John’s age as it was erroneously reported in the newspaper, from 44 years to 24 years, 8 months, and 4 days. He was reported to have been born 6 May 1885 in Germany, consistent with prior evidence, and he was buried in St. Stanislaus Cemetery. His cause of death was “burns, accidental,” as a result of having been “caught in burning building.” Interestingly, John was reported to have been a resident of Buffalo for only one year, while Joseph had been a resident for four years. It may be that the information regarding Joseph’s residency is incorrect, since Katherine Bartoszewicz herself had likely only been a resident of Buffalo for the three years since her marriage in 1907.

John Levanduski’s death was also reported in the local Polish newspaper, the Polak w Ameryce (Figure 19).41

Figure 19: Death notice for Jan Lewandowski from the Polak w Ameryce, 11 January 1910.

The death notice reads in translation,

“On Monday, the 10th day of January in the year 1910 at 7:10 in the morning, departed this world after short and heavy suffering, after having received the Sacraments, of holy memory,

Jan Lewandowski

The late Jan Lewandowski was born on 6 May 1885 in the Grand Duchy of Poznań. He came to America in 1885, 24 years ago.
The funeral will be held on Wednesday, 12 January, at 9:45 a.m. from the home of the bereaved at 23 Townsend St. to the church of St. Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr, and afterwards to the place of eternal rest. To this sad rite the bereaved are invited.

Stanisław Lewandowski, father, Katarzyna and Anna, sisters, Piotr, brother, and Józef Bartoszewicz, brother-in-law.”

The information on the death notice agrees with all the previous evidence for John Levanduski’s place and date of birth, arrival in the U.S., and the names of his surviving father and full siblings. The death notice was obtained courtesy of the Polish Genealogical Society of New York State, following a search of their databases. The PGSNYS also offers this guide for translation of these death notices.

Every family has its share of loss, sorrow, and tragedy, and the Levanduski family was certainly no exception. Unfortunately, the family stories that draw us into genealogical research don’t always have happy endings, but the tragic stories are no less worthy of being told. Although John and Joseph Levanduski left no descendants to remember them and to say their names, their story was preserved in the paper trail of newspapers and documents. With a little persistence, that story has come to light. Rest in peace, John and Joseph Levanduski.

© Julie Roberts Szczepankiewicz 2022

Sources:

1 “Najpopularniejsze nazwiska w Polsce” [Most popular surnames in Poland], Internet Archive, Wayback Machine (https://web.archive.org/web/20080518171439/http://www.futrega.org/etc/nazwiska.html : 04 March 2022), citing site capture from 18 May 2008, citing original data from the Słownik Nazwisk współcześnie w Polsce używanych [Dictionary of Polish Surnames in Modern Usage] found at http://herby.com.pl/.

2 “Urząd Stanu Cywilnego Rogowo-Wieś, 1874-1913,” (Rogowo, Żnin, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Poland), Akta małżeństw, 1882, no. 38, Stanislaus Lewandowski and Marianna Wozniak, 9 September 1882; digital image, Genealogiawarchiwach (https://www.genealogiawarchiwach.pl/ : 04 March 2022), images 39 and 40 of 68, citing Archiwum Państwowe w Bydgoszczy Oddział w Inowrocławiu, Sygnatura 7/540/0/2.2/26.

3 “Wola 1)” [Wola, Znin, Bromberg, Posen, Preussen], Search the Meyers Gazetteer (https://www.meyersgaz.org/ : 04 March 2022), citing Uetrecht, E. (Erich), Meyers Orts- und Verkehrs-Lexikon des Deutschen Reichs, 5th edition, Leipzig and Wien: Bibliographisches Institut, 1912, p 1180.

4 “Urząd Stanu Cywilnego Rogowo-Wieś, 1874-1913,” Akta urodzeń, 1883, no. 208, Catharina Lewandowska, 11 October 1883; digital image, Genealogiawarchiwach (https://www.genealogiawarchiwach.pl : 04 March 2022), image 209 of 268, citing Archiwum Państwowe w Bydgoszczy Oddział w Inowrocławiu, Sygnatura 7/540/0/2.1/28; and

“Urząd Stanu Cywilnego Rogowo-Wieś, 1874-1913,” 1885, Akta urodzeń, no. 93, Johann Lewandowski, 5 May 1885; digital images, Genealogiawarchiwach (https://www.genealogiawarchiwach.pl : 04 March 2022), image 93 of 262, citing Archiwum Państwowe w Bydgoszczy Oddział w Inowrocławiu, Sygnatura 7/540/0/2.1/34.

5 Manifest, SS Sprite, departing Hamburg, Deutschland, 10 April 1886, p. 559, lines 11-15, Lewandowsky family and Weronika Wozniak; imaged as “Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1850-1934,” database with images, Ancestry (https://ancestry.com/ : 04 March 2022); citing Staatsarchiv Hamburg, Bestand: 373-7 I, VIII (Auswanderungsamt I). Mikrofilmrollen K 1701 – K 2008, S 17363 – S 17383, 13116 – 13183.

6 Roman Catholic Church, St. Stephen’s parish (Middleport, Niagara, New York, USA), “Church Records, 1878-1917,” Baptisms, 1878-1901, unnumbered entries in chronological order, 10 June, Patricius Levendeski, born 28 May 1888; digital image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org : 3 March 2022), FHL film no. 1378522, item 1/DGS no. 8273181, image 19 of 154.

7 Joseph J. Levanduski, Jr., Medina, New York, email to Julie Szczepankiewicz, 14 March 2007; Correspondence with Joseph Levanduski, privately held by Julie Szczepankiewicz.

8 Roman Catholic Church, St. Stephen’s parish (Middleport, Niagara, New York, USA), “Church Records, 1878-1917,” Baptisms, 1878-1901, 1891, unnumbered entries in chronological order, 17 February, Josephum Levendeski, born 15 February 1891; digital image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org: 05 March 2022), FHL film no. 1378522, item 1/DGS no. 8273181, image 23 of 154.

9 Roman Catholic Church, St. Stephen’s parish (Middleport, Niagara, New York, USA), “Church Records, 1878-1917,” Marriages, 1878–1900, unnumbered entries in chronological order, 1889, June 22, Eduardus Lipkoski and Veronica Wisnaik; digital image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org : 6 March 2022), Family History Library film no. 1378522, item 4/DGS no. 8273181, image 128 of 154.

10 New York, Supreme Court, Orleans County, Petitions for Naturalization, 1887-1893, vol. 5, p. 291, Stanislaw Lewandowski, 14 September 1891; digital image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org : 06 March 2022); image 169 of 278.

11 New York, State Census, 1892, Orleans County population schedule, Shelby, Election District no. 3, page 15, Adcker Lewenoboski household; digital image, Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com : 6 March 2022), citing New York State Education Department, Office of Cultural Education. New York State Library, Albany, NY.

12 Roman Catholic Church, St. Stephen’s parish (Middleport, Niagara, New York, USA), Church Records, 1878-1917, unnumbered entries in chronological order, 1893, 1 January, Veronica Levenduski, born 26 December 1892; digital image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org : 7 March 2022), Family History Library film no. 1378522 item 1/DGS no. 8273181, image 26 of 154.

13 Death records from St. Stephen’s in Middleport are available from the date of Veronica’s birth through March 1899, and there is no death record for her. There is also no good match in the “New York, U.S., Death Index, 1852-1956,” searching for “?e??nd?sk*” in 1896 +/- 5 years.

14 Roman Catholic Church, St. Stephen’s parish (Middleport, Niagara, New York, USA), Church Records, 1878-1917, Baptisms, 1878-1901, unnumbered entries in chronological order, 1894, 24 June, Anna Levendeski, born 14 June 1894; digital image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org : 7 March 2022), Family History Library film no. 1378522, item 1/DGS no. 8273181, image 27 of 154.

15 Town Clerk, Shelby, Orleans, New York, Death Register, unknown range of dates, no. 72, Mary Levenduski, 10 April 1896; Shelby Town Hall, 4062 Salt Works Rd., Medina, New York.

16 Roman Catholic Church, St. Stephen’s parish (Middleport, Niagara, New York, USA), Church Records, 1878-1917, Record of Marriages, 1878–1900, unnumbered entries in chronological order, Levendeski et Budzinski, 12 May 1896; digital image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ : 7 March 2022), Family History Library film no. 1378522, item 1/DGS no. 8273181, image 132 of 154.

17 Roman Catholic Church (Niestronno, Mogilno, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Poland), “Ksiegi metrykalne, 1722-1952,” Akta urodzen 1866-1913, 1867, no. 1, Antonina Budzinska, born 5 January 1867; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ : 7 March 2022), Family History Library Film no .2151453 item 5/DGS no. 8120936, image 873 of 1037.

18 Roman Catholic Church, St. Stephen’s parish (Middleport, Niagara, New York, USA), Church Records, 1878-1917, Baptisms, 1878-1901, 1897, unnumbered entries in chronological order, 28 February, Antonius Levendeski, born 23 February 1897; digital image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org: 07 March 2022), FHL film no. 1378522, item 1/DGS no. 8273181, image 30 of 154; and

Ibid., 1898, 14 August, Ladislaus Lavenduski, born 8 August 1898; image 33 of 154; and

Ibid., 1899, July 23, Martha Levinduski, born 14 July 1899; image 63 of 154.

19 1900 United States Federal Census, Orleans County population schedule, Shelby township, Enumeration District 110, sheets 21A and B, family no. 543, Edward Lavendusky household; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/ : 9 March 2022), citing NARA publication T623, 1,854 rolls, no particular roll specified.

20 1905 New York State census, Orleans County population schedule, town of Shelby, Election District 2, page 43, lines 3-13, Edward Levenduski household; database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : 9 March 2022), “New York, U.S., State Censuses, 1880, 1892, 1905” > 1905 > Orleans > Shelby > image74 of 80.

21“New York, U.S., Death Index, 1852-1956,” database with images, Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/ : 9 March 2022), Martha Levenduski, 13 August 1900, Shelby, New York, certificate no. 32891.

22 Roman Catholic Church, St. Stephen’s parish (Middleport, Niagara, New York, USA), Baptizorum Registrum, 1899-1943, p 15, unnumbered entries in chronological order, Josepha Levinduski, born 17 February 1903; digital image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org : 10 March 2022), “Church Records, 1878-1917,” FHL film no. 1378522, item 1/DGS no. 8273181, image 70 of 154; and

Ibid., Mariannam Levinduski, born 30 January 1901; image 67 of 154.

23 Roman Catholic Church, St. Stephen’s parish (Middleport, Niagara, New York), “Record of Marriages, 1900 – ?”, p 18, 1907, unnumbered entries in chronological order, 29 April, Bartoszewicz & Levinduski; Holy Trinity Parish (Parish created by merger of St. Stephen’s in Middleport with Sacred Heart and St. Mary’s parishes in Medina), 211 Eagle Street, Medina, New York.

24 Manifest, SS Pennsylvania, arrived 13 October 1890, p 3, lines 19-29, Bartuszewitz family; imaged as “Pennsylvania, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists, 1800-1962.” database with images, Ancestry (http://search.ancestry.com : 12 March 2022), citing National Archives at Washington, D.C., “Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,” Record Group No. 85, series T840, roll no. 14, image 345 of 860.

25 Supreme Court of Erie County, New York, Petition for Naturalization no. 2653, Joseph Bartoszewicz, 9 February 1914; Erie County Clerk, 92 Franklin St., Buffalo, NY 14202.

26 Buffalo Street Directory 1909, no author or original publication data available, p 168, entry for Bartosiewicz, Joseph, accessed as browsable images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/ : 12 March 2022), path: “U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995,” > New York > Erie > Buffalo > 1909 > Buffalo, New York, City Directory, 1909 > image 82 of 482; and

Hausauer-Jones Printing Company, A History of the City of Buffalo: Its Men and Institutions: Biiographical Sketches of Leading Citizens, (Buffalo, New York: The Buffalo Evening News, 1908), pp 123-124, “The Buffalo Cereal Company;” e-book, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/ : 12 March 2022).

27 Ibid.

28 “Reducing the Risk of Explosion in Flour Mills,” Hafcovac (https://www.hafcovac.com/blog/ : posted 16 January 2020, accessed 12 March 2022).

29 Buffalo Street Directory 1909, no author or original publication data available, p 167, entry for Bartek, Joseph, and p 168, entry for Bartosiewicz, Joseph, accessed as browsable images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestraccessed as browsable images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/ : 15 May 2020), path: “U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995,” > New York > Erie > Buffalo > 1909 > Buffalo, New York, City Directory, 1909 > images 81 and 82 of 482.

30 “Explosion Wrecks Plant, Kills Three Men and Injures Nine: Spontaneous Combustion Cause of $150,000 Conflagration at Buffalo Cereal Company, Abbott Road and Elk Street.,” Buffalo Evening News (Buffalo, New York), 05 January 1910 (Wednesday), 12 pm edition, p. 1, cols. 1–3; 3 pm edition, p. 1; 5:00 pm edition, pp. 1 and 5; digital images, Newspapers (https://www.newspapers.com/image/351516885/ : 14 March 2022).

31 “Sisters of Charity Hospital (Buffalo, N.Y.),” Social Networks and Archival Context (https://snaccooperative.org/ : 14 March 2022).

32 “Explosion Wrecks Big Plant; Nine Seriously Hurt, Three Are Missing,” Buffalo Courier (Buffalo, New York) 5 January 1910, p 1, cols 5-6, page 7, cols. 2-3; digital image, Newspapers (https://www.newspapers.com : 14 March 2022). https://www.newspapers.com/image/370538152.

33 “Laney is Alive: Was Thought to Have Been Killed in Cereal Company Explosion. Two Still Missing. Frozen Ruins Are Being Searched for Bodies of Lendes and Glodecki,” The Buffalo Commercial (Buffalo, New York), 6 June 1910 (Thursday), p. 10, col. 3; digital image, Newspapers (https://www.newspapers.com :14 March 2022).

34 “Dies While His Brother’s Body Lies in Debris: John Lendes, A Victim of Buffalo Cereal Company’s Fire. Bodies of Joseph Lendes and Three Other Men Still in the Ruins,” The Buffalo Times (Buffalo, New York), 10 January 1910 (Monday), p 4, col. 3; digital image, Newspapers (https://www.newspapers.com : 14 March 2022).

35 “Sixth Victim of Cereal Company Fire,” Buffalo Evening News (Buffalo, New York) 11 January 1910 (Tuesday), p 11, col. 6; digital image, Newspapers (https://www.newspapers.com : 15 March 2022), image 27 of 32.

36 “May Be Third Death in Same Family,” Buffalo Evening News (Buffalo, New York), 13 January 1910 (Thursday), p. 11, col. 2; digital image, Newspapers (https://www.newspapers.com : 15 March 2022), image 27 of 32.

37 “Joseph Lendes’ Body Found in the Ruins: First of Four Victims of the Buffalo Cereal Company Fire to Be Recovered,” Buffalo Evening News (Buffalo, New York), 15 January 1910 (Saturday), p. 1, col. 2; digital image, Newspapers (https://www.newspapers.com : 15 March 2022), image 1 of 24.

38 “Lonn’s Charred Body Is Found: Third Victim of Cereal Plant Fire. Gloecki Turns Up Alive,” The Buffalo Times (Buffalo, New York), 30 January 1910 (Sunday); digital image, Newspapers (https://www.newspapers.com : 15 March 2022), image 29 of 63.

39 City of Buffalo, Bureau of Vital Statistics (Buffalo, Erie, New York), “Death Certificates,” 1910, no. 95, Joseph Lendes, 14 January 1910, Erie County Clerk’s Office, 92 Franklin St., Buffalo, New York.

40 Ibid., no. 422, John Lewandowski, 10 January 1910.

41Polak w Ameryce (Buffalo, New York), 11 January 1910, death notice for Jan Lewandowski, Polish Genealogical Society of New York State, Buffalo, New York.

Final Resting Places of the Last Generation of My Husband’s Family in Poland

Published on by Julie Roberts Szczepankiewicz4 Comments

In my last post, I discussed the final resting places for the last generation of my family to be buried in Poland. When I wrote it, two of my adult children were in the midst of a two-week trip to Poland, and I wanted them to have a sense of their ancestral origins, even if they’re not all that interested in genealogy. Although their time in Poland is nearly finished, I’d like to continue the story today with a discussion of my husband’s family, and their known, presumed, or hypothetical places of burial in Poland. As with the previous post, I’m taking a bit of advice from my husband, and starting with the oldest generation that my kids knew personally, or knew from family stories: their great-grandparents.

Grandpa Steve’s Family

My husband’s paternal grandfather, Stephan Szczepankiewicz, died in 1998, when my oldest son was still in preschool and my second son was just a toddler. Consequently, none of my kids really knew him, although he lives on in all the family stories. Figure 1 shows his pedigree chart.

Figure 1: Pedigree chart for my husband’s paternal grandfather, Stephan Szczepankiewicz. Blue squares represent people who died in the U.S., while red squares represent those who died in what is now Poland. Click image to enlarge.

Grandpa Steve’s parents were Michał/Michael Szczepankiewicz and his second wife, Agnes Wolińska, both of whom were Polish immigrants. Michael was born in 1873 in the village of Obrona in Konin County, in the Russian partition of Poland, to Wojciech Szczepankiewicz and his second wife, Anna (née Augustyniak), whose dates of death are unknown. Obrona belonged to the parish in Kleczew, and it may be that Wojciech and Anna are buried in the parish cemetery. However, this is somewhat speculative, pending further research.

Grandpa Steve’s mother, Agnes (née Wolińska) Szczepankiewicz, was born in 1888 in the town of Świecie in the Prussian partition of Poland. She was the daughter of Joseph Woliński and Tekla (née Bogacka) , who immigrated with their family to Buffalo, New York, in 1890. Joseph was the son of Antoni Woliński and Agnes (née Kozicka), but I know little about them besides their names. Joseph was born in the village of Kiełbasin in 1853, so I could hazard a guess that perhaps Antoni and Agnes are buried in the Kiełbasin parish cemetery, but that’s only a guess, pending further research.

Tekla (née Bogacka) Wolińska was the daughter of Józef/Joseph Bogacki and Apolonia (née Prusiecka) Bogacka. Apolonia was born circa 1822 and died in Buffalo in 1906, while Józef was born circa 1826 and died in Buffalo in 1919. According to the 1905 census, they’d been living in the U.S. for 16 years, suggesting an arrival circa 1889. The names of her parents were not recorded on her church burial record, and Joseph’s church burial record is not available online, so obtaining a copy of that, as well as copies of both of their death certificates, is on my to-do list. I have yet to delve into any Polish records for this family. Apolonia’s death record, as well as church records pertaining to her children, state that the family was from Chełmno, so I suppose earlier generations of the Bogacki and Prusiecki family might be buried there.

Grandma Angeline’s Family

My husband’s paternal grandmother, Angeline (née Skolimowski) Szczepankiewicz, died in 2004, so my sons have some memories of her. Her pedigree chart appears in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Pedigree chart for my husband’s paternal grandmother, Angeline (Skolimowska) Szczepankiewicz. Blue squares represent people who died in the U.S., while red squares represent those who died in what is now Poland. Click image to enlarge.

She was the daughter of Stanisław/Stanley and Helen (née Majczyk) Skolimowski. Stanley was born in the village of Garlino in Mława County in 1887, and was the son of Tadeusz and Marianna (née Kessling) Skolimowski, whose dates of death are unknown. They were known to be living in the village of Uniszki Zawadzki in 1904 when their youngest son, Czesław, was born, so perhaps they were still living there at the time of their deaths. The village of Uniszki Zawadzki belongs to the parish in Wieczfnia, so it’s possible that Tadeusz and Marianna were buried in the parish cemetery there.

Helena Majczyk was born in the village of Rostowa (Żuromin County) to Stanisław and Aniela (née Nowicka) Majczyk. Their dates of death are unknown; however, we could extrapolate again, and assume that they died in the same village in which they were living when their last identified child was born. That child was Czesław, who was born in 1905 in the village of Suwaki, about 8 km from Rostowa. Note that Czesław is merely Stanisław and Aniela’s youngest identified child: since Aniela was only about 36 when Czesław was born, it is likely that the couple had additional children born after him, who will be discovered in further research. Nevertheless, all the villages in which Stanisław and Aniela’s known children were born—Rostowa, Suwaki, and Bojanowa—belong to the parish in Gradzanowo Kościelne, so it’s plausible that Stanisław and Aniela might have been laid to rest in that parish cemetery.

Papa’s Family

My husband’s maternal grandfather was Henry Bartoszewicz, known as “Papa” to his grandchildren. He was the only one of my husband’s grandparents who was already deceased by the time I met my husband, but I’ve come to know him at least a little bit through all the family stories, which are known to my kids as well. Figure 3 shows his pedigree chart.

Figure 3: Pedigree chart for my husband’s maternal grandfather, Henry Bartoszewicz. Blue squares represent people who died in the U.S., while red squares represent those who died in what is now Poland. Click image to enlarge.

Henry was the son of Józef/Joseph Bartoszewicz and Katarzyna/Katherine (née Lewandowski/Levanduski). Both Joseph and Katherine were Polish immigrants from the Prussian partition, who came to the U.S. with their parents when they were very young. Joseph arrived with his family in 1890, at the age of about eight, while Katherine arrived in 1886, when she was two and a half years old.

Joseph was the son of Stefan/Stephen and Joanna (née Olszewska) Bartoszewicz. They were the parents of perhaps 12 children, about half of whom were born in Poland. More research needs to be done to better understand this family’s history, and I have yet to obtain a birth record for Joseph Bartoszewicz himself. Indexed birth records for Joseph’s known siblings indicate that the family lived in several villages (Kamionki, Zalesie, Smaruj, Brzeźno, and Łysomice) that were all located in Toruń County. However, these villages belong to four different parishes, and I have no further information regarding Stefan and Joanna’s places of birth and marriage, nor have their parents been identified. At this point, the best I can do is guess that my kids’ Bartoszewicz and Olszewski ancestors were buried somewhere in Toruń County.

Katherine Levanduski was the daughter of Stanisław “Edward” Lewandowski/Levanduski and his first wife, Marianna/Mary (née Woźniak). Edward was born in 1859 in the village of Szelejewo (Żnin County) to Michael Lewandowski and Elisabeth (née Radke or Rotka). Although precise dates of death are not yet known for Michael and Elisabeth, the record of marriage for Stanisław/Edward and Marianna stated that the groom’s father died in Szelejewo, and his mother died in Gutfelde (known today as Złotniki Kujawskie). Szelejewo belonged to the parish in Gąsawa, so it’s probable that Michael Lewandowski is buried in the parish cemetery there. Gutfelde/Złotniki belonged to the Catholic parish in Rogowo, so it’s likely that Elisabeth is buried there.

Mary (née Woźniak) Lewandowska was the daughter of Jakub Woźniak and Marianna Sobczak, who were still alive at the time of their daughter’s marriage in 1882. Not much is known about this family, apart from the fact that Mary was born in Brudzyń, and her parents were living in Wola (aka Wola Czewujewska) in 1882, per Mary’s marriage record. Wola belonged to the Catholic parish in Ottensund, presently known as Izdebno, so we can speculate that perhaps Jakub and Marianna were buried in that parish cemetery. However, preliminary research indicates that the parish in Izdebno fell into disrepair and is no longer extant. It was replaced by a new parish founded in 1976 in Czewujewo, with a parish cemetery established in 1977, according to information found here. However, the FamilySearch catalog includes records from Izdebno up until 1952, which suggests that the parish was still in existence at that time, so burial records for Jakub and Marianna should be found in this parish. Despite this fact, there’s no evidence of an old Catholic cemetery in Izdebno, based on Google Maps, and the Wikipedia article on Izdebno mentions only a disused Evangelical (Lutheran) cemetery. Once again, further research is needed, but we can suppose for now that Jakub and Marianna Woźniak might be buried in Izdebno.

Grandma Barth’s Family

My husband’s maternal grandmother, Joan (née Drajem) Barth, died in 2008, so all of my children remember her. Her pedigree is shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4: Pedigree of my husband’s maternal grandmother, Joan (Drajem) Barth. Blue squares represent people who died in the U.S., while red squares represent those who died in what is now Poland. Click image to enlarge.

Grandma was the daughter of Albert and Mary (née Kantowski) Drajem, both of whom were born in the U.S. to parents who were Polish immigrants from the Prussian partition. Albert was born in Buffalo on 8 April 1890 to Augustyn and Agnieszka (née Jamrozik) Drajem, who were married in Kucharki, in Plezew County, on 1 February 1890. So, although the exact date for their arrival in the U.S. has not been determined, it must have been in February or March of 1890, and Agnieszka would have been heavily pregnant during their voyage.

Augustyn was the son of Józef and Marianna (née Kaszyńska) Drajem, or Draheim. who were married in 1850 in Niestronno (Mogilno County). Józef Draheim’s precise date of death is unknown; however, he was born 30 January 1822, and he was reported to have been 50 years old at the time of his death, according to a life insurance application filled out by his son, Wojciech. This suggests a date of death circa 1872. At the time of Wojciech’s birth in 1862, Józef and his family were living in the village of Mielno (Mogilno County). If we suppose that Józef was still living there ten years later, when he died, then his death should be recorded in Niestronno parish—the parish to which the village of Mielno belonged. It’s probable that he was buried in the Niestronno parish cemetery.

Marianna (née Kaszyńska) Drajem immigrated to Buffalo after her husband’s death, where she died in 1905. She was the daughter of Rozalia (__) Kaszyńska and an unidentified father. (I wrote about my research into Marianna previously.) With so little known about Rozalia and her husband, it’s impossible to guess where they were buried, so I won’t even speculate. Similarly, little is known about the parents of Agnieszka (née Jamrozik) Drajem, Jan Jamrozik and Rozalia (née Juszczak). The Poznań Project indicates that they were married in Kucharki in 1856, so it’s possible that they were buried in that parish cemetery, but there’s not a lot of information, currently, upon which to base this assumption.

Mary Kantowski was the daughter of Jan/John Kąt/Kantowski and Marianna/Mary Kończal who immigrated to Buffalo circa 1886. Jan was the son of Piotr Kąt and Franciszka (née Konwińska). Piotr died 8 March 1883 in the village of Klotyldowo (Żnin County)—a village which belongs to the parish in Łabiszyn. Thus, it’s probable that he was buried in that parish cemetery.

Franciszka (née Konwińska) Kantowska immigrated to Buffalo with her children after the death of her husband. She remarried in 1887 to Jan Wasilewski, and she died in Buffalo in 1921. She was the daughter of Dionizy Konwiński and Katarzyna (née Kruszka), who married in 1812 in Słabomierz (Żnin County). Dionizy died on 19 December 1852 in Wolwark (Nakło County). The village of Wolwark belongs to the parish in Szubin, and it’s likely that the cemetery there was Dionizy’s final resting place. Although Katarzyna (née Kruszka) Konwińska’s precise date of death is unknown, all of her children were born in the village of Wolwark, so it’s reasonable to suppose that she, too, might be buried in the cemetery in Szubin with her husband.

Mary (née Kończal) Kantowski was the daughter of Franciszek Kończal and Anna Kubiak. Anna (née Kubiak) Kończal immigrated to Buffalo to live with her children after the death of her husband, and she died in Buffalo in 1922. Nothing further is known about Franciszek’s date or place of death, or the identities of Anna’s parents. However, Anna and Franciszek were married in Łabiszyn, so Franciszek may have died there.

For your viewing pleasure, here is another map which marks all the places discussed in this post, as well as those identified in my first post (my own Polish ancestors).

Conclusions

Analyzing my genealogy data for the purpose of identifying the most recent generation of ancestors who died in Poland has really highlighted all the work that remains to be done on my husband’s family. The data also serve to illustrate the statistical trend of earlier immigration among German nationals (including Poles from the Prussian partition) relative to Russian nationals (including Poles from the Russian partition). And, while it’s impossible to draw any firm conclusions about cultural practices in elder care from these data, I was intrigued by the fact that five of my husband’s 3x-great-grandparents emigrated—all from the Prussian partition— while only one of my 3x-great-grandparents emigrated, from the Austrian partition. Most of these 3x-great-grandparents were over the age of 50 when they migrated, and from this decision, we can infer a preference for uprooting their lives and traveling with their children, rather than remaining in their homeland and living with the families of their siblings or non-emigrant children.

Was that decision influenced by family culture? Was it the result of differing living conditions within each partition of Poland? Are there genetic factors that influence one’s willingness to migrate? I’ve often pondered these questions over the past decade, when dealing with the challenges of long-distance elder care in my own family.

While I may never have definitive answers to these questions, it’s certainly been intriguing to examine my family through the lens of ancestors who died in Poland.

© Julie Roberts Szczepankiewicz 2022

Edited on 19 December 2022 to include current featured image, which was inadvertently omitted when blog post was originally published.

10 March 2023: After reading this article, researchers Ben Kman and Roman Kałużniacki wrote to me independently with a correction regarding my statement that, “there’s no evidence of an old Catholic cemetery in Izdebno, based on Google Maps…” Roman wrote, “There are two cemeteries which may be relevant here. Both of them are marked on the old maps of the area. One is located just half a mile south and on the West side of the road from Czewujewo. This one measures about 0.20 ha in size and is likely the real parish cemetery. But… The other one is quite hidden. It is located just West on the other side of the lake from Izdebno and its size is about 0.4 ha. I have a feeling there might be more to say about it.” Ben wrote, “There is a catholic cemetery in Izdebno.  I have relatives living in Izdebno and my great-grandmother’s brother is buried in that cemetery.  I visit it on every trip I take to Poland.” Thanks, Roman and Ben, for catching this error.

A Catholic Genealogist’s Spiritual Bouquet for All Souls’ Day

Published on by Julie Roberts Szczepankiewicz7 Comments

November 1 and 2 are two important days in the Roman Catholic tradition—the feasts of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. On All Saints’ Day, November 1, we celebrate the Church Triumphant—all the faithful deceased, known and unknown, who are now saints in heaven with God. On All Souls’ Day, November 2, our focus shifts to the Church Penitent—all the faithful departed whose souls must undergo purification (Purgatory) in order to enter the joy of heaven. We, the living, are the Church Militant, and together with the Church Triumphant and the Church Penitent, we make up the Communion of Saints. The basic premise of the Communion of Saints is that we’re all in this together: the prayers of the living can benefit those in purgatory, and the intercession of the saints can aide those of us who are still struggling through life.

This act of praying for others is so important, that the Catholic Church designates praying for the living and the deceased as one of the seven Spiritual Acts of Mercy. So, on All Souls’ Day, especially, we are encouraged to remember and pray for our deceased family members. Praying for the faithful departed can certainly be done in a general way, but many of us like to remember our family members by name. Consequently, All Souls’ Day is a holiday that Catholic genealogists can really embrace in a big way, since genealogy is all about the identification of our ancestors by name.

While the Rosary is a popular Catholic devotion for prayer and meditation, it occurred to me that its structure could also lend itself to use in offering a spiritual bouquet for All Souls’ Day. For those who might be unfamiliar with the term, a spiritual bouquet is “a collection of private devotional acts and prayers chosen and performed by one person for the benefit of another.”1 For those who might be unfamiliar with the Rosary, it’s a set of prayers that are recited, using a special string of 60 beads as an aid in keeping track of the progression through the prayers. A Rosary consists of opening prayers, then five sets of prayers called “decades,” followed by closing prayers. Each decade consists of an Our Father, followed by the Hail Mary (repeated ten times), and then the Glory Be. While it’s common to meditate on one of twenty Mysteries—events that took place during the life and death of Jesus and His Mother, Mary—while praying the Rosary, it’s also acceptable to focus on the words of the prayers themselves. I think that approach is easier if one is offering each prayer for a different ancestor or ancestral couple.

There are many ways that the Rosary can be adapted to pray for one’s ancestors, depending on where one begins with the family tree. In my Rosary, I wanted to include the souls of deceased members of both my family, and my husband’s. Since my mother is the only one of our parents who is deceased, I decided to offer the “Hail, Holy Queen” prayer (one of the closing prayers) for her, and offer the ten Hail Mary prayers of each decade for the souls of our grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents, as shown below in Version 1. Praying one decade each for my father-in-law’s family, my mother-in-law’s family, my father’s family, and my mother’s family, leaves one extra decade, which I decided to offer for all souls who have no one to pray for them.

As an alternative, I also set up a version focused only on my family (Version 2). In this version, the first decade is again offered for those souls who have no one to pray for them, followed by a decade each for my paternal grandfather and his family, my paternal grandmother and her family, my maternal grandfather and his family, and my maternal grandmother and her family. It’s a little easier to follow when using an example with names, so I’ve created examples for both Version 1 and Version 2, below. However, please note that in both versions, grandparents’ names have been redacted to protect the privacy of the living (my husband’s parents and my dad).

If you, too, are a Catholic genealogist, you can easily adapt one of these strategies to fit your own family tree. I made it easier for myself by printing out a “cheat sheet” with the names on it, but more power to you if you can do this from memory! Since it takes a little more focus, this is the sort of Rosary that lends itself to a quiet time and place, rather than a “Rosary on the run,” that you might say while you’re out walking or in the car.

May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

All Souls’ Day Rosary: Version 1

Opening prayers: As usual.

First decade: All souls who have no one to pray for them.

Second decade: My father-in-law’s family

  1. Husband’s paternal grandfather
  2. Husband’s paternal grandmother
  3. Paternal grandfather’s father, Michael Szczepankiewicz
  4. Paternal grandfather’s mother, Agnes (Wolińska) Szczepankiewicz
  5. Paternal grandmother’s father, Stanley Skolimowski
  6. Paternal grandmother’s mother, Helen (Majczyk) Skolimowski
  7. Parents of paternal grandfather’s father, Wojciech and Anna (Augustyniak) Szczepankiewicz
  8. Parents of paternal grandfather’s mother, Joseph and Tekla (Bogacka) Wolinski
  9. Parents of paternal grandmother’s father, Tadeusz and Marianna (Kessling) Skolimowski
  10. Parents of paternal grandmother’s mother, Stanisław and Aniela (Nowicka) Majczyk

Third decade: My mother-in-law’s family

  1. Husband’s maternal grandfather
  2. Husband’s maternal grandmother
  3. Maternal grandfather’s father, Joseph Ferdinand Bartoszewicz
  4. Maternal grandfather’s mother, Katherine (Levanduski) Bartoszewicz
  5. Maternal grandmother’s father, Albert Drajem
  6. Maternal grandmother’s mother, Mary (Kantowski) Drajem
  7. Parents of maternal grandfather’s father, Szczepan and Joanna (Olszewska) Bartoszewicz
  8. Parents of maternal grandfather’s mother, Stanisław “Edward” and Mary (Woźniak) Levanduski
  9. Parents of maternal grandmother’s father, Augustyn and Agnes (Jamrozik) Drajem
  10. Parents of maternal grandmother’s mother, John and Mary (Kończal) Kantowski

Fourth decade: My father’s family

  1. My paternal grandfather
  2. My paternal grandmother
  3. Paternal grandfather’s father, John Frank Roberts
  4. Paternal grandfather’s mother, Katherine Elizabeth (Walsh) Roberts
  5. Paternal grandmother’s father, John Sigismund Boehringer
  6. Paternal grandmother’s mother, Anna Julia (Meier) Boehringer
  7. Parents of paternal grandfather’s father, Michael Frank and Mary Elizabeth (Wagner) Roberts
  8. Parents of paternal grandfather’s mother, Henry and Martha Agnes (Dodds) Walsh
  9. Parents of paternal grandmother’s father, John G. and Anna Franziska (Murri) Boehringer
  10. Parents of paternal grandmother’s mother, Wenzeslaus and Anna (Goetz) Meier

Fifth decade: My mother’s family

  1. My maternal grandfather
  2. My maternal grandmother
  3. Maternal grandfather’s father, Joseph Zielinski
  4. Maternal grandfather’s mother, Genevieve (Klaus) Zielinski
  5. Maternal grandmother’s father, John Zazycki
  6. Maternal grandmother’s mother, Veronica (Grzesiak) Zazycki
  7. Parents of maternal grandfather’s father, Stanisław and Marianna (Kalota) Zieliński
  8. Parents of maternal grandfather’s mother, Andrew and Mary (Łącka) Klaus
  9. Parents of maternal grandmother’s father, Ignacy and Antonina (Naciążek) Zarzycki
  10. Parents of maternal grandmother’s mother, Józef and Marianna (Krawczyńska) Grzesiak

Hail, Holy Queen: For my mother

All Souls’ Day Rosary: Version 2

Opening prayers: As usual.

First decade: All souls with no one to pray for them.

Second decade: My paternal grandfather and his family

  1. Paternal grandfather
  2. Paternal grandfather’s father, John Frank Roberts
  3. Paternal grandfather’s mother, Katherine Elizabeth (Walsh) Roberts
  4. Father of person in 2, Michael Frank Roberts, in my case
  5. Mother of person in 2, Mary Elizabeth (Wagner) Roberts
  6. Father of person in 3, Henry Walsh
  7. Mother of person in 3, Martha Agnes (Dodds) Walsh
  8. All other deceased members of the Roberts family (Surname from 2)
  9. All other deceased members of the Wagner family (Maiden name from 5)
  10. All other deceased members of the Walsh and Dodds families (Surname from 6, Maiden name from 7)

Third decade: My paternal grandmother and her family

  1. Paternal grandmother
  2. Paternal grandmother’s father, John Sigismund Boehringer
  3. Paternal grandmother’s mother, Anna (Meier) Boehringer
  4. Father of person in 2, John G. Boehringer
  5. Mother of person in 2, Anna Franziska (Murri) Boehringer
  6. Father of person in 3, Wenzeslaus Meier
  7. Mother of person in 3, Anna (Goetz) Meier
  8. All other deceased members of the Boehringer family (surname from 2)
  9. All other deceased members of the Murri family (maiden name from 5)
  10. All other deceased members of the Meier and Goetz families (surname from 6, maiden name from 7)

Fourth decade: My maternal grandfather and his family

  1. Maternal Grandfather
  2. Maternal grandfather’s father, Joseph Zielinski
  3. Maternal grandfather’s mother, Genevieve (Klaus) Zielinski
  4. Father of person in 2, Stanisław Zieliński
  5. Mother of person in 2, Marianna (Kalota) Zielińska
  6. Father of person in 3, Andrew Klaus
  7. Mother of person in 3, Mary (Łącka) Klaus
  8. All other deceased members of the Zielinski family (surname from 2)
  9. All other deceased members of the Kalota family (maiden name from 5)
  10. All other deceased members of the Klaus and Łącki families (surname from 6, maiden name from 7)

Fifth decade: My maternal grandmother and her family

  1. Maternal Grandmother
  2. Maternal grandmother’s father, John Zazycki
  3. Maternal grandmother’s mother, Veronica (Grzesiak) Zazycki
  4. Father of person in 2, Ignacy Zarzycki
  5. Mother of person in 2, Antonina (Naciążek) Zarzycka
  6. Father of person in 3, Józef Grzesiak
  7. Mother of person in 3, Marianna (Krawczyńska) Grzesiak
  8. All other deceased members of the Zazycki family (surname from 2)
  9. All other deceased members of the Naciążek family (maiden name from 5)
  10. All other deceased members of the Grzesiak and Krawczyński families (surname from 6 and maiden name from 7)

Hail, Holy Queen: For my mother

Sources:

1 “Spiritual bouquet,” Collins Dictionary (https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/spiritual-bouquet : 31 October 2022).

Featured Image: Pixabay, “Holding String of Beads,” Stockvault (https://www.stockvault.net/photo/216640/holding-string-of-beads#, uploaded 22 November 2016, accessed 31 October 2022), Creative Commons license CC0 1.0 Universal.

© Julie Roberts Szczepankiewicz 2022

Genealogical Lost and Found

Published on by Julie Roberts Szczepankiewicz4 Comments

When researching, I sometimes stumble across records that are out of place or badly indexed. I’m usually struck with a feeling of empathy for some poor researcher out there, looking for a particular historical record and being unable to find it, due to this error.

Lost to Posterity

I’ve been researching my husband’s Lewandowski ancestors lately, and was searching in Ancestry’s database, “New York, U.S., Death Index, 1852-1956,” for a death record for yesterday. Anyone researching this popular Polish surname in U.S. records is probably familiar with the plethora of phonetic variants that were adopted by immigrant Lewandowskis. I’ve found that wildcard searching is an effective strategy for locating all possible variants, such as Levanduski, Levindoski, Lavandeski, Levinduskee, etc. All of these variants follow the pattern, L?v?nd?sk*, where ? replaces one character, and * replaces one or more characters. You can even go one step further, and search for L*nd*sk*, in consideration of the fact that some versions of the surname might have retained the original w instead of the English phonetic equivalent, v. This will return results which include the original spelling, Lewandowski, as well as variants such as Lanvondoski, Lawndowski, Lewandorsky, etc. Due to the popularity of this surname, it should go without saying that you’ll want to confine your search to a particular place and time period, to avoid an overwhelming number of search results.

But what about that first letter, L? Frequently, in old documents, the cursive upper case L was mistaken for an S. If the indexer could not read the handwriting on the original document, then Lewandowski and related phonetic variants could be indexed under Sewandowski. In fact, a search in Ancestry’s Passenger Lists database for the exact surname Sewandowski, produces 86 results. And while this number may not seem huge, it might be significant if your ancestor is among those 86 passengers.

Could Sewandowski be an authentic surname? Not likely. A search of nearly 44 million records in Geneszukacz—the search portal for all the databases of the Polskie Towarzystwo Genealogiczne (Polish Genealogical Society)—produces exactly one result for Sewandowski, which includes Lewandowski as an alternate transcription of the surname, provided by the indexer. If the “Sewandowski” surname does not exist in Polish records, chances are good that all of those 86 passengers should have been indexed as Lewandowski.

This brings me back to my search for a Lewandowski death record. Bearing in mind this L-to-S transcription issue, I repeated my search in the New York Death Index, this time for *nd?sk*. Behold, search results included this one for Fanny Sewandoska, shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: “Fanny Sewandoska” in the New York, U.S., Death Index, 1852-1956 database.

The entry appears with other S entries, so it’s evident that the mistake was made when the original, handwritten index was created from the death certificates. Since Ancestry permits the addition of alternate information to database entries, I added “Levandoska” as an alternate surname for Fanny. I’m not even going to hazard a guess as to the original Polish given name for “Fanny.” However, the fact that her surname was recorded in its feminine form, Levandoska, rather than Levandoski, suggests that she was probably an immigrant from Poland, since feminine surname endings were typically abandoned within a generation or two after immigration.

Found Treasures

Conversely, we sometimes encounter “bonus records,” tucked into record books for one reason or another, that become found treasures. Back in 2014, while perusing microfilmed records from Transfiguration parish in Buffalo, New York, I stumbled across this baptismal certificate, shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Certificate of Baptism for Stella Kapela, baptized at St. Stephen’s parish in Middleport, New York, tucked into the marriage register from Transfiguration parish in Buffalo. Image from FamilySearch.

The certificate was included as proof of baptism for a bride, Stella Kapela, who was married at Transfiguration church in 1911. The date on the certificate, 1943, was curious, since it was so much later than the records in the place where this certificate was tucked into the book. Perhaps Stella remarried in the parish in 1943? Her name, and her parents’ names, Jacob Kapela and Frances Kraczyk, meant nothing to me, but I did a double-take when I noticed that her godparents were Edward Levenduski and Veronica Lepkoski. Edward was my husband’s great-great-grandfather, and Veronica was the sister of Edward’s wife, Mary (Woźniak) Levanduski. St. Stephen’s church in Middleport is the parish in which my mother-in-law’s paternal grandparents married, and it’s a good 40 miles from Transfiguration. Seriously, what were the chances that I’d be reading through the baptisms in one parish, for an unrelated family, and find names I recognized from a parish 40 miles away?!

Although my first thought was that Stella must be a relative, a little digging suggested that she is not. Rather, I think it’s likely that her family was connected to my husband’s family simply because they were all Poles from the Prussian partition, and specifically from the Posen province. Maybe if I dig back a few more generations, something more concrete will emerge, but for now, I think it’s time to lay this aside and move onto other things.

That’s enough rabbit holes for one night!

©Julie Roberts Szczepankiewicz 2022